NeoCon 2023 - Issue 4

Top Trends

New Products

NEOCON

OUR LOCATIONS ABOUT TANGRAM

Santa Fe Springs, CA 9200 Sorensen Avenue

Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670

Newport Beach, CA 1375 Dove Street, Suite 300 Newport Beach, CA 92660

Downtown Los Angeles

527 West 7th Street, Suite 1204

Los Angeles, CA 90014

Bakersfield, CA

7415 Meany Avenue

Bakersfield, CA 93308

Fresno, CA

677 West Palmdon Drive, Suite 101 Fresno, CA 93704

Dallas, TX 300 S. Pearl Expressway, Suite 200 Dallas, TX 75201

© NeoCon 2023 - Issue No. 04

CONTACT US

Headquarters: 9200 Sorensen Avenue Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670

562.365.5000 tangraminteriors.com

FOLLOW

TangramInteriors YourOfficeInspired

Cover Photo: Andreu World Olena

BEYOND HYBRID

You might wonder why we’re talking about ‘beyond’ hybrid when so many companies are still trying to figure it out and make it work for them. Hybrid will continue to evolve, but some patterns are emerging that might surprise you.

For example, most people globally — 70% — are working in the office, three or more days a week. But that average varies dramatically depending on where you live, what you do and who you work for. We’re all having different experiences and feelings about how hybrid is going. One thing is universal though: How we work has changed dramatically, regardless of where you work and on which days.

In the midst of all of this change we need to have empathy because people are really struggling. As we enter the fourth year of adapting to life with COVID, our research shows work-life balance has dropped and people feel less connected to company culture. Productivity has also suffered and all of this is making them more likely to leave their jobs. Leaders are worried. Dropping productivity hits a nerve when organizations are under pressure to deliver results.

So let’s talk about why it’s happening. There are many variables when measuring productivity. We can, and should, debate it – but we can’t ignore it. Because people want to feel good about their work and be productive too.

Organizations are hearing conflicting messages and have to try and figure out how to balance everything. It’s complicated – but it’s also an opportunity to experiment and engage people in the process of figuring out potential solutions. We call this experiment ‘hybrid’ today because it still feels new and novel for some. But as we learn and adapt, soon it will just be called…work.

— Excerpt from Steelcase Work Better Magazine

Some of our favorite trends + products from this year’s show.

TRENDS

INTEGRATED TECHNOLOGY + ELEVATED ZOOM ROOMS

FLOW CREDENZA WITH CUSTOM MONITOR LIFT

OCULAR COUPE5

SUSTAINABILITY, CARBON NEUTRAL + ENVIRONMENTALLY-MINDED

FSC & PEFC, ecological textiles (Greenguard Gold), awarded Best of Neocon in sustainability category.

WILD DYER

An imaginative exploration into nature’s hidden side, the Wild Dyer carpet tile collection celebrates the unexpected richness and beauty of dyes from the often-overlooked mushroom. Wild Dyer is designed to meet the highest standards of sustainability as a low embodied carbon soft flooring system.

TINNEF

Tinnef creates a second life for plastic waste. Entirely fashioned from plastic cosmetic bottles or yogurt containers, the tabletop creates an exceptional advancement in environmental innovation.

NEUTRAL IS NOT ENOUGH

“While carbon offsets are a step in the right direction, they are not enough on their own to combat the effects of climate change. We need to take a holistic approach and focus on embodied carbon and carbon emissions. By addressing both, we’re not just offsetting our impact — we’re actively working to reduce it. Being neutral is not enough.”

Every component has been carefully considered to reduce environmental impact. Easily disassembled into separate components ensuring recyclability after long use-life.

As of July 2023, all seven of Steelcase’s highperformance chairs (Karman, Gesture, Leap, Think, Amia, Series 2 and Series 1) will be available with a CarbonNeutral product certification option.

KARMAN, GESTURE, LEAP, THINK, AMIA, SERIES 2, SERIES 1

ATTENTION TO DETAIL + FURNITURE DESIGNED TO FLOAT IN OPEN SPACE

POLINA

LUBA

04

SOFT CURVES , ORGANIC + UNIQUE SHAPES

TEXTURAL FUR-LIKE MATERIALS + PLAYFUL COLORS

ROLL STOOL

Social Spaces That Work

Klinenberg says places that encourage us to pause help us make collisions that build human connections. He refers to that as social infrastructure which is made up of the physical places within a community where people gather, connect and build trust — something he argues is as necessary as roads and bridges — which ultimately contributes to creativity and a willingness to take risks. Those human connections are what cause one person to help another, or someone to step in when a colleague struggles, which builds resilience in teams and organizations.

The places where people start their workday in the office are an important part of social infrastructure. Both people who work in the office everyday and those who toggle between office and home need to feel welcomed. With fewer assigned desks, people’s routines change. New workplace designs should invite people in,

give them a destination, a way to comfortably transition into their workday — and solve the pragmatic question of where to put your stuff.

These spaces need to deliver the variety and vitality people are seeking. Nobody wants to walk into a place that feels empty. New Steelcase research asked employees about their reasons for coming into the office. While the top reasons are about completing tasks, employees also want to make connections.

“We like efficiency in all kinds of ways,” says Eric Klinenberg, NYU professor and author. “But lingering really is important and too much efficiency can be a bad thing.”

People come to the office for a purpose. Top reasons are:

1. Collaboration

2. Focus work

3. Access to tools and technology

4. Sense of belonging

5. Feeling of shared purpose

6. Connect with leaders

7. Socialize and have fun

Social Spaces Boost Productivity.

The sense of inclusion, comfort and belonging in the form of social time is far from superficial. According to Dr. Tracy Brower, Steelcase vice president of workplace insights, it benefits people, teams and organizations in six important ways.

Social Identity

For many, the way we contribute to society and community is through our work — and this contributes to identity. Coming together for a common goal is an aspect of how we understand ourselves.

Social Norms

Culture is always evolving. When people connect, culture is strengthened as people are reminded of ‘how things get done around here.’ When people understand the unwritten rules of an organization through regular interactions with others, they feel more included in the fabric of the organization.

Social Learning

65% of what employees learn comes from co-workers, 15% from managers (Source: Human Resource Development International). Whether it’s formal or informal, learning happens best when you are actively engaged with others.

Social Growth

Teams with a collective understanding of a problem or shared empathy for a customer can achieve better results. This kind of growth happens together — through connecting and investing time, collaborating, communicating and coordinating.

Social Fabric

When people are able to connect and build relationships, they increase levels of trust and compassion. This safety net of solid relationships gives people confidence to take risks and be creative.

Social Capital

Social capital describes the web of connections across an organization through which we can learn, stretch, grow and cooperate. The opportunity to tap into your network to ask for advice and test ideas is rewarding for you and the company.

Trying a new space on a smaller scale and seeking feedback is a great way to evolve your hybrid workplace. Think about your entry. What do people first see when they walk in? Is it a space designed to encourage people to connect and linger? Reimagine underutilized spaces (cafes, town hall) as social spaces with a variety of settings for different kinds of work to encourage all day use. Use flexible furniture to avoid expensive architectural changes and allow new spaces to be quickly implemented with assets that can be redeployed.

Harder Working Social Spaces

A hybrid work model, with fewer assigned spaces, puts pressure on social spaces to do more and support individual work.

Hybrid workplaces need more high-performance elements such as interactive displays, moveable markerboards and seating that supports comfortable work postures. Social spaces are increasingly being designed to support personal devices with laptop tables, and more options for power. And designers are adding more focus sub-zones within social spaces to provide the privacy people need.

Hybrid models often mean organizations do not know how many people will be in the office on any given day. Highperformance social spaces can serve as additional shared work spaces when occupancy is high.

By creating social spaces that are multi-modal — supporting multiple modes of work — people can use the same place to do different kinds of work, whether it’s individual tasks, collaborating with others, rejuvenating or spending social time together.

Great social spaces balance people’s desire to connect with their need to hide away at times. People appreciate having a variety of privacy options including protection and shielding at their back. A range of postures support different ways of working— particularly for light focus, social connections and collaboration. Ample work surfaces and easy access to power are critical. Lighting and biophilic elements enhance the personality of the spaces.

“The mistake right now is to do nothing. What we know about increasing the use of shared spaces was true before the pandemic and it’s even more true now,” says Meg Bennett, Steelcase global principal designer. “Hybrid work demands more from shared spaces. There’s no reason not to put what we know into action.”

When performance principles are incorporated into the design of social spaces, individuals and teams are more productive and can collaborate, socialize and focus better, notes Bennett. They also experience psychological comfort — they feel good and want to use the spaces.

If you’re not sure how to start, run a pilot.

Privacy

Provide the appropriate levels and types of privacy needed for the work at hand, including visual, acoustic and territorial.

Posture

Support the body in a posture appropriate for the task, whether lounge, task, stool-height or standing.

Proximity

Think about the relationship of spaces relative to the type of work being done, easy access to tools and technology and how the settings promote equitable experiences.

Personality

Use color, materiality and furniture to express the unique brand and culture of an organization to attract and retain talent.

“You have to make the space inviting. We want to pull people back to the office, not push.”

Kent Taylor IBM, Global Director of Workplace, Technology, Design & Integrated Solutions

SUI DESK CHAIR

FUNDA

SOFT SEATING COLLECTION

EDISON WORKBENCH

PLAY PODS

CAYMAN

FRIDA FOCUS

IMAGINASIUM

ZOOK NESTING TABLE

FLOWFORM LEARN LOUNGE

SILICONE SYMPHONY

ROSETTA

EZZERI

DAPPLED LIGHT

MESA LOUNGE

BLUEPRINT

KIWI BEAN BAG

ELARA

FLOORING

THE SPACE BETWEEN

ACCESSORIES + ACOUSTICS

PALLANA LIGHT

Puzzle: NEOCON Tangram Interiors